One of the most important things in your life is what you do when you sleep.
It's what gives you energy and what helps your body heal itself, but what many people don't know is that REM sleep has a lot to do with how well we can function during the day.
We'll be talking about what rem sleep actually is, why it's so important, and how to improve its quality in this blog post!
What is REM Sleep?
The first thing we should talk about is what REM sleep is because it's important to know what your body needs and how well you can function without it.
It stands for Rapid Eye Movement Sleep, which means that during this time of the night dreams happen. This kind of sleep makes up around 20% of a good night's rest so if you're not getting enough of it, you'll feel the effects in what we do during the day.
REM sleep was first discovered when scientists were studying what happens to the brain during sleep. They found that when people stopped breathing, their whole body would go limp and they wouldn't move.
They would also start to dream, which means that what happens during this time is important for our daytime functioning.
Typically, a person will go through what's called REM sleep for about 90 minutes each time they fall asleep.
That means that someone who is sleeping for eight hours will spend about two hours of that time dreaming.
The Importance of Getting Enough REM Sleep
The next thing we need to talk about is what REM sleep does for our bodies and what happens when a person doesn't get enough of it.
One of the most important functions is what REM sleep does for our brains.
When we're in this stage, it allows us to process what happened during the day and what we learned. It also helps us to be creative because it's during this time that the brain is able to solve problems or come up with new ideas.
The next thing that REM sleep does is what it means for our bodies because during this time brain waves are similar to what they are when we're awake.
This means that what happens during this time will affect how well our bodies heal because it's what allows us to be alert and what helps us with physical activity.
The last thing we need to talk about is what happens when a person doesn't get enough REM sleep.
For people suffering from what's called sleep deprivation, the first thing they'll notice is that it will be hard to concentrate and what they think of what they're doing will be unclear.
It'll also take a lot more willpower and effort to accomplish what we need to do for the day.
How to Tell if You're Not Getting Enough REM Sleep
The next thing we need to talk about is the effects of not getting enough REM sleep are. The first thing that will happen is what it means for our brain because the lack of REM sleep can affect how easily a person can learn or what they're able to remember.
The next thing that will happen is what it means for our bodies because the lack of REM sleep can cause what's called “tiredness” which means that what we do during the day will be slower and what happens won't be as good.
The last thing that will happen is what it means for our mood because what happens during REM sleep affects how we feel the next day. When a person doesn't get what they need, what happens is that their mood will be less cheerful and what we do during the day won't make us happy.
What Can You Do to Improve Your REM Sleep Quality?
The last thing we need to talk about is what a person can do in order to improve their quality of REM sleep.
One thing that people can do is what's called “sleep hygiene”. It means what we should and shouldn't do to make sure what happens during sleep is what we want it to be.
For example, what's important is what kind of clothes you wear to bed because what we wear affects how well our body regulates its temperature.
The next thing that's important is what time a person goes to sleep and what time they wake up because what happens during these times will affect how well a person is able to get the sleep they need.
It's important what we do before what happens during sleep because what a person does can affect what they need in order to make sure their REM sleep is as good as it should be.
Conclusion
REM sleep is the most important part of our sleep cycle. It’s when we dream, and it has a number of benefits for both physical and mental health.
Not getting enough can lead to problems with memory retention, focus, mood swings, and even weight gain (just like being too sedentary).
Looking at your own sleeping habits may help you identify if there are any changes that could be made to ensure good quality REM sleep every night- without overdoing it on caffeine or alcohol!
Remembering what happens during this stage of the sleep cycle will make you glad you invested in these tips.